Mmm.... eggs

I recently read about a way to make eggs that I had never tried before! I mean, I know that eggs are pretty versatile (over easy, poached, scrambled, in a frittata, quiche...), but this dish sounded delightfully decadent and yet simple. And so... eggs en cocotte!

To start off, I buttered the insides of two individual-sized ramekins. I dropped a little cheese in there as well (traditionally done with gruyere, but can be done with any cheese available. I had a sharp Vermont cheddar), and put the ramekins in the oven to warm up.

Butter-y!

The warming up is actually a fairly important step. The more traditional way of making this dish involves cooking the eggs very slowly in the oven in a bain-marie (water bath), but heating up the ramekin first largely takes this step out of the equation. After everything got warm and bubbly, I retrieved the ramekins and dropped an egg in each. I then topped each egg with about a tablespoon of heavy cream, added some more shredded cheese, and sprinkled on a little salt and pepper.

Eggs and cream (no cheese yet)

I put the ramekins back into the oven, this time under the broiler. Now, my oven is OLD and doesn't even have temperature numbers, so I have no idea what temperature I cooked the eggs at, unfortunately. I just kept checking until everything looked about right.

I was looking for a slightly browned top (from the cheese), with the egg whites just set and the yolk still runny. I ended up taking the ramekin from the broiler to the oven for a few extra minutes just to make sure the egg whites were cooked. All in all, it took maybe about 7-10 minutes.

It is starting to look delicious!!

I ate this served with toast. Each ingredient made for a sum greater than its parts; the rich yolk, decadent cream, slightly salty cheese... all combined for a really fantastic bite of food. It was warm and somehow delicate tasting (even with the cream and butter!).

I think I'll definitely make this dish again. It lends to endless variations (add bacon, or herbs, or mushrooms, or tomato, etc), and is pretty easy to do in a larger, oven-proof container if I wanted a bigger serving. Yay, eggs!

Nom nomnom

Thanksgiving... chicken

I managed to fit in three big Thanksgiving holiday traditions into my day today... I watched football, I took an afternoon nap, and I had turk... I mean... chicken.

Both are poultry, no? :)

I brought out the slow cooker again, after brining and browning some chicken pieces. Everything was kept pretty simple, with just some mushrooms, onions, and garlic in the pot. 

In the process of filling the slow cooker

I ended up serving this on top of some couscous, along with mushroom gravy that was made from deglazing the browning pan. 

Finished chicken in pot.

Ech; evening pictures take on a really unattractive yellow tint... have to figure out how to fix this! As a result, no picture of the finished dish. It was decently tasty; I think I still prefer baking chicken in the oven, but this would be an easy way to prepare dinner if I didn't want to spend a few hours in the kitchen!

Pre-thanksgiving cooking

There's something about cooler weather that makes me bring out the slow cooker. Maybe because I like the warmth that it radiates, as it ever so quietly turns a cheap, tough cut of meat into something incredibly tender. Today, I made some pulled pork. It makes for a really versatile end product; I can easily make sandwiches out of it (mix with barbeque sauce, top with pickled veggies), I can put it in the oven with some potatoes and an egg cracked on top, or I can use it as protein in a salad.

To start off with, I bought about 2 1/2 pounds of pork butt. This fatty cut lends well to the slow cooking process, and a lot of the fat cooks out (I didn't keep much of the residual liquids). I rubbed the meat with a simple mixture (salt, brown sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme) before placing it in the slow cooker with chopped onions and a clove of garlic. 7 hours later, and voila! Dinner is served.

Warmth, inside and out

Some of the fondest memories I have in my life are related to food. No surprise there, huh? Not only of how the food tasted though, but of the people around me at that time. Our conversation, our laughter, the sharing of the food... these all add to my enjoyment. One type of meal I've always loved is hot pot. I liked that it was a slow meal; nobody ever rushed through one of these dinners. Even in the warm climate of Miami, I have memories of my uncles and parents getting together outside by the pool area in front of a big pot. And then as I got older, my university friends and I would stretch together a small budget to accommodate as much food as possible, and then throw in some rice to cook in the residual soup to make sure everyone went home full and happy.

So with the weather turning cooler in New York these past few days, we thought that it was the perfect time for the three Yuen siblings to go have some hot pot. I had found a great online coupon for a place nearby, and so off we went! The food was slightly pricey but of good quality, and we even got some free dessert afterwards!

Our assortment of meats and veggies

Our soup base seemed pretty healthy! There was ginseng, and red
jujube dates in a pork/chicken broth. Best part is, we got to take it
home afterwards! It's going to be great with noodles tomorrow!

Jon, looking in awe at the huge platter
of condiments placed in front of us.

Sibling time!

With the arrival of my sister to New York for the week, all three Yuen siblings are now under the same roof! Hijinks, adventures, and lots of food are sure to be on the agenda.

Today, we took advantage of a particularly beautiful Fall day, and headed over to Brooklyn Bridge Park. About 20 vendors were out in full force for Smorgasburg, an outdoor food event that takes place every weekend. Everything from Filipino spring rolls, to pizza, to Colombian arepas were being sold. We wasted no time and got down to business, buying up a veritable... smorgasbord... of goodies to eat!

Hungry visitors milling around food booths

Our impromptu picnic lunch! Glazed pork chop sandwich, Salvadorean
Pupusas, maple glazed bacon on a stick, and fresh pizza.

The weather was absolutely perfect; sunny and around 60 degrees. The view was pretty neat too; we found a spot right between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. It was a great spot to have lunch, and to lay around for a little post-lunch nap!

We look happy... I think it was a bacon-induced high

Jon is saying, "If I pose for this picture, can I have more bacon?"

Don't we look great?! With view of Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop.

YunNan Flavor Snack

The weather has been crazy freaky here the past few weeks. From a hybrid hurricane superstorm to an early nor'easter, this area has been dumped on by mother nature. We have continued to be very lucky; having heat and electricity is half the battle. The other half... is finding something really warm to eat!

One of my favorite places in the neighborhood is a tiny dumpy hole in the wall. There's about 12 different menu items, none over $5. The cuisine is from Yunnan (雲南), near the southwest corner of China. Although definitely Chinese, the food has a distinctly Southeastern Asian flavor to it. My favorite item on the menu is simply called "Dumplings in Hot and Sour Sauce" in English.

This bowl holds such a wealth of incredible flavors. There's a vinegary tang to the soup base, and spiked with a generous amount of chili peppers. The dumplings are very thin-skinned like a wonton, filled with pork. Combined together, the savory-sour-spicy combo hits you full in the taste buds, wakening your senses and clearing your sinuses. A light scattering of scallions and cilantro offers up a light herb-y freshness to the party.

To my knowledge, this is the only Yunnan eatery in all of NYC. Unique and packed with flavor, it is the perfect meal to warm you up on a cold, blustery, miserable day!